A Paradigm for Assessing the Scope and Performance of Predictive Analytics

In this paper, I outline possibilities and limitations for the scope and performance of predictive analytics within a simple paradigm. I do this by first bifurcating predictive analytics into two categories, passive and active. I contrast this categorization with current alternatives and highlight its relative merits in terms of clarity in boundaries, as well as appropriate methods for different types of prediction. I then describe the range of suitable applications, as well as the possibilities and limitations with regard to prediction accuracy, for each type of prediction. I conclude with a discussion of key ways in which an understanding of this paradigm can be valuable.